Wrench.



Patented Oct. 20

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C. R. OLBERG.

WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25,1907.

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C. R. OLBERG.

WRENCH.

LPPLIOATIOI FILED JULY 25, 1907.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

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v11a-alumnus PETERS cc., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

CHARLES R. OLBERG, OF VIENNA, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCISR.

' WELLER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 'OF COLUMBIA.

WRENCH.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

Application led July 25, 1907. Serial No. 385,484.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CHARLES R. OLBERG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Vienna, in the county of Fairfax and State of Virginia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in'IVrenches, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawing.

The improvements provided by this invention in general pertain to toolswhich are used to turn into or out of place nuts, boltheads, taps, orthe like, or to hold such a part in fixed position While another partwith which it is connected is being turned; and, while theyparticularlyV relate to nutwrenches, they are also susceptible ofembodiment in pipe or other wrenches. j

The invention contemplates a wrench the parts of which are so formed andcombined that the jaws, when engaged with a nut or other part to beturned, will automatically clutch the same as force is applied to the.

clutching mechanism, and the greater the force applied in imparting arotative movement, the greater will be the clutching force of the jaws.Vhen force is applied in a direction contrary to the original, the jawswill be automatically released.

The operative parts of the wrench are` constructed and arrangedin suchmanner that the jaws will automatically clutch the object with whichthey are engaged when the clutching mechanism is moved in eitherdirection of rotation, the wrench bein thereby adapted to turn either aright or le t handed screw-threaded obj ect either on or 0E the part towhich such object is applied.

The means which operate to cause the aws to clutch or release are soconstructed that they may be easily removed for substitution by jaws ofthe same or of another character, when desired. Means are also providedby this invention whereby the aws may be maintained, when desired, inany fixed position.

Associated with the jaw-actuating means is a ratchet mechanism of novelconstruction, whereby a reciprocatory movement of the wrench-handle willresult in successive rotations in the object being turned, the ratchetmechanism being arranged for as eiiective operation when direction ofrotation is in one direction as when it is in the other.

Other novel characteristics of the invention reside in the means formaintaining the jaw-actuating instrumentalities in eiiicient operativeposition, and in the peculiar formation and arrangement of the variousparts of the device.

When read in connection with the following description, the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts contemplated by this inventionwill be apparent from the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof,wherein a preferable embodiment of the invention is disclosed, forpurposes of illustration.

Like reference-characters refer to corresponding parts in the severalviews of the drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the wrench;Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof; Fig; 3 is a bottom viewof the wrenchhead, with the housing partially broken away; Fig. 4 is asectional view, on the line a-a, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a plan view of theouter j aw-engaging member; Fig. 6 is a side view of the innerjaw-engaging member; Fig. 7 is an end view thereof; Fig. 8 is a planview of the jaws in their maximum position; Fig. 9 is a plan view of thejaws in their minimum position; Fig. 10 is an end view of `a jaw; Fig.11 is a view of an alternative form of jaw; Fig. 12 is a view of theinner nut; Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the pawl; Fig. 14 is a sideview of the ratchet mechanism; and Fig. 15 is an end view of a portionof the ratchet mechanism.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, it will be seen thatthe handle 15 of the wrench comprises a bar 16, to each side of which isheid, by screws 17 and ferrules 18, pieces 19 of wood or any othersuitable material. Bar 16 at one end is formed with a relatively thickportion 20, from which extends a widening flange portion 21, the end oredge 22 of which forms a circular segment.

A housing 23, having an aperture 2 and a flange portion 25, is held onthe han e by screws 26 which are seated in thick portion 20.

Seated in housing 23 is a member 27, preferably integrally formed, whichcomprises a ratchet-wheel 28, above the teeth of which is formed acircumferential groove 29, in which edge 22 is adapted to seat and 31.The bearing-surface 32 on the inner an inner member 36, which consistsof a' shank 37 formed to extend through aperture 33 and aperture 24. Theshank is screwthreaded for a portion of its length from the end, it isformed with an enlarged portion 88 of the same shape in cross-section asand arranged to seat closely in seat 35, it has above portion 38 acontinuation 39, and it is provided with a head 40, having abearing-surface 41. In plan head 40 lies parallel with the bottom 30 andsomewhat removed therefrom, and its edge or bearingsurface 41 lies in anellipse or other continuous curve smaller than that of bearingiange 31,but concentric and parallel therewith. This relative position ismaintained by enlarged portion 38 seated in seat 35. Positioned in seat34 is a nut 42 inI engagement with the screw-threads of shank 37 andhaving therein wrench-engageable apertures 43, this nut operating tohold member 36 in place in memberl 27.

On shank 37, adjacent to nut 42, and seated in aperture 24 of housing23, is a washer 44, and on the shank, outside of this washer, is athumb-nut 45, which is arranged to clamp against the bottom of housing28. It will be seen that handle 15 is pivoted at housing-aperture 24 on'shank 37, and in addition held in place by engagement of edge 22 withgroove 29.

The clutching elements or jaws 46 and 47 of the wrench are seated in cup27 and between flange 31 and" head 40. The jaws have interlittingextensions 48 andI 49, which are arranged to lie between cup-bottom 30and head 40, and the tongues 50 and 51 of which engage and are capableof movement on each side of shank portion 89. The complementary faces ofthe jaws are maintained in proper relative position by theseinterlitting extensions. The space between tongues 5() and 51 beingcentrally located, and shank portion'89 being at the center of thecurves of the bearing-surfaces32 and 41, it follows that the centrallongitudinal line between the jaws will always lie in an axis of thebearing-surface curves and that therefore the jaws will always be in anaxial', and therefore in a most suitable, position to be operated uponby the bearing-surfaces.

Positioned in chamber 52 formed by flange portion 21 and housing 28 is apin 53, on which is pivoted a double pawl 54, which is arranged tocoperate with the teeth of ratchet-wheel 28.

The faces 55 of pawl 54 have therein notches or indents 56, which areengaged by leaf-springs 57 These springs are attached to pins 58 at ornear the ends of a member 59 centrally pivoted on a pin 60 located inchamber 52. On member 59 is a lateral extension 61, to which ispivotally connected an arm 62, and this arm in turn is pivotallyconnected with a knob 68. The knob is arranged to be movable in a slot64, and to be secured in one or the other limits of its movement byengagement with detents 65.

The aws 46 and 47 of the wrench being engaged with a nut or other objectto be turned, revoluble movement is given to the wrench handle, and,pawl 54 coperating with ratchet-wheel 28, a rotative movement is therebyimparted to member 27 and the concentric head 40. The aws remainingstationary with respect to the obj ect, the cup andy head simultaneouslywill be moved relatively to the jaws, so that the axial position of thejaws will be changed toward the minor axis of the curves ofbearing-surfaces 32 and 41, and flange 31 bearing against the jawscauses them to have a tendency to approach each other and clamp theobject. It will be seen that revoluble movement of the jaws in rotatingthe object is caused by their frictional engagement with flange 31, andthat the greater the force exerted in rotating the flange the greaterwill be the force of the clamp of the jaws upon the object.

The clutch of the jaws upon the object is released by reversing therotative movement of the cup and head, when the axial position of thejaws will be changed toward the major axis of the curves of thebearingsurfaces and. their distance apart increased by operation thereonof the head, in an obvious manner.

Jaws 46 and 47 may be held in any fixed position desired by tighteningthumb-nut 45, which operates to clamp the interfitting jaw-extensions 48and 49 between head 4() and cup-bottom 30. The jaws may be removed forsubstitution by others by removing thumb-nut 45 and washer 44, when nut42 is accessible for removal from shank 37, and member 36 then may bewithdrawn and the jaws released. Other jaws may be set in place byreversal of this operation.

Pawl 54 is held in yielding engagement with ratchet-wheel 28 by means ofleafsprings 57.

It will be seen that when knob 68 is fixed in one of detents one endv ofmember 59 will be held by arm 62 nearer the pawl than the other, wherebypressure on the spring of that end is greater than on the other and thepawl is maintained against the ratchet-wheel on that side. The operationof the pawl may be reversed by moving j the knob from one detent to theother, in an obvious manner. The pawl may be held out of engagement oneither side with the ratchet-wheel by placing the knob in its medialposition in slot 64, when member 59 will be in such position that thepressure ot the springs on the pawl will be balanced and neither side ofit forced against the ratchet-wheel.

F or the sake of convenience and brevity, the curves in whichbearing-surfaces 32 and 41-1 are disposed have been described aselliptical or substantially elliptical, but it is to be understood inconstruing the claims herein that applicant is not to be restricted tobearing-surfaces disposed in curves in all respects satisfying thegeometrical definition of an ellipse, as his invention/contemplates thedisposition of the bearing-surfaces in any curves of the approximateform of an ellipse or oval.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wrench, the combination with the jaws, of outer and innermembers having bearing-surfaces between which the aws are disposed andarranged upon rotation in either direction with respect to the jaws theouter member to force the jaws toward each other and upon reversal ofrotative movementthe inner member to torce the jaws apart.

2. In combination with the jaws of a wrench, a rotatable member having asurace engaging one of said jaws and upon movement thereof with respectto said jaw operable thereon to force the jaw away from an articleclutched, said engaging surface lying in a substantially ellipticalcontinuous curve. j,

3. In a wrench, the combination with the jaws, of an outer member havinga curved `jaw-engaging surface, and an inner member having a curvedjaw-engaging surface, the outer member being arranged when rotated ineither direction with respect to the jaws to cause the same to clutch,and the inner member being arranged upon reversal of rotation topositively release the clutch irrespective of the direction of initialrotation to clutch the jaws.

4. A wrench comprising ahandle, an outer member pivoted thereon andarranged to receive rotative motion therefrom, a flange on said outermember forming a continuous bearing-surface4 lying substantially in anelliptical curve, an inner member attached to said outer member andhaving a bearingsurface complementary to that of the outer member, andjaws having portions disposed and capable of movement between saidbearing-surfaces.

5. A wrench comprising ahandle, an outer member pivoted thereon andhaving a laterally polygonal recess, a iange on said outer memberforming a continuous bearing-surface lying substantially in anelliptical curve, an inner member having a laterally polygonal portionseated in said recess and formed with a bearing-surface complementary tothat of the outer member, and jaws having I portions disposed andcapable of movement betweensaid bearing-surfaces.

G. A wrench'comprising a handle having an aperture therein, an outermember' having an aperture therethrough polygonal in cross section forpart of its length, an inner member having a screw-threaded shankextending through said apertures and a laterally polygonal portionseated in the polygonal portion of the outer member aperture, abinding-nut on said shank, and jaws having portions disposed and movablebetween said outer and inner members.

7 A wrench comprising members having bearing-surfaces, jaws havingportions movable between said bearing-surfaces, extensions on said jawsdisposed between other surfaces of said members, a shank on one of saidmembers, and means on said shank whereby said extensions are clampedbetween said members.

S. In a wrench, the combination of an outer member having abearing-surface, an inner member having a bearing-surface, jaws havingportions movable between said bearing-surfaces, extensions on said jawsdisposed between said members, and means whereby said extensions arebound between said outer and inner members.

9. In a wrench, the combination of an outer cup-shaped member having aside bearing-surface, an inner member disposed therein and having abearing-surface, jaws having portions movable between saidbearingsurfaces, movably interlitting extensions on said jaws, and meanswhereby said extensions are bound between said outer and inner members.

10. In a wrench, the combination of an outer cup -shaped member having aside bearing-surface, an inner member formed with a shank disposed in anaperture in said outer member and with a head having a bearing-surface,jaws having portions movable between saidbearing-surfaces,movablyinteritting extensions on said jaws disposedbetween the bottom of said cup-shaped member and said head, and means onsaid shank whereby said extensions are bound in fixed position.

l1. In combination with thejaw-carrying member of a wrench havingratchet-teeth, a handle pivotally secured to said member, a double pawlon said handle and coperable with said ratchet-teeth, a pivoted arm, a

spring on said arm and engaging said pawl, and means whereby said arm ismoved and said pawl held by said spring in yielding engagement with theratchet-teeth, said means comprising an extension on said arm, a knob,and pivotal connection between said extension and said knob, said knobcoperating with means for maintaining it in adjnsted position.

12. ln a wrench, a ratchet mechanism comprising, in eoperation with the'ratchetteeth thereof, the combination of a double pivoted pawl, an armpivoted intermediate its ends, a leaf-spring attached to each end ofsaid arm and in engagement with said I pawl, and means for maintaining`said arm and thereby said pawl in a predetermined position, said meanscomprising an extension on said arm, a grip member, and pivotalconnection between said extension and said grip member, said grip memberooperating with means for maintaining it in adjusted position.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence o't two witnesses.

CHARLES R. OLBERG.

Witnesses I H. RALPH BURTON, E. E. DALY.

